Oncology (General Cancer)/Is less smoking harmful

i am 31 years old and have been smoking for long 15 years. earlier i used to smoke a lot around 20 cigarettes a day but for last 1 years but now i have been smoking very less like 4 cigarettes a day. i know still smoking is injurious to health and nothing can be guaranteed but very honestly i need to know that is there any chance of getting cancer with smoking 4 cigarettes a day? also i use a filter while smoking. i agree that quitting is the best solution but i will be happy to have your reply very honestly and straight forward!

Thanks in advance.

Regards/Omar Farook

AnswerOf course the risk increases with how much you smoke, so obviously 4 cigarettes/day is less risky than 20 cigarettes/day. But in your case I also have to consider how long you have smoked. You have been smoking for 15 years ever since you were 16 years of age. The younger you are when you start the worse it is with regards to risk. Even if you stopped completely now it would take 10 years until your cancer risk would approach that of a non smoker (your heart risks however would disappear rather quickly). Keeping that in mind I still have to recommend that you quit completely! Good luck!

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Experience

I'm a Doctor of Medicine and specialist in Medical Oncology and Radiation Therapy educated & trained in Sweden. Now retired. Background in Radiation Therapy, Medical Oncology, Radiation Protection, Nuclear Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Gynecological Oncology, Clinical Pathology, Clinical Cytology,Hematology and Internal Medicine.
M.D. from the faculty of medicine, Royal Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Have also been an exchange student at the Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem Israel. Former medical consultant, Swedish National Board of Radiation Protection. Former Police Surgeon and Medical Examiner, Stockholm Police Department. Former Chief Medical Officer, The Royal Guards, The Royal Horse Guards and the Royal Household Brigade, Royal Swedish Army Medical Corps. You can also reach me on: http://www.lifestylerescue.com/expert/health-fitness-advice/dr-claes-gustaf/128 I have no restrictions in the number of questions there. I also answer questions in these other categories: General History,
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Education/CredentialsI'm a medical doctor and specialist in medical oncology and radiation therapy